"Great welcome thus far!"- Shaheen Afridi after receiving a warm reception in Hyderabad on their arrival in India ahead of World Cup
Pakistan bowling spearhead Shaheen Afridi was impressed by the hospitality extended to their team after they landed in Hyderabad, India, ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Men in Green arrived at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Wednesday evening. The Pakistan cricket team is in India for the first time after seven long years. They last came here in 2016 to participate in the T20 World Cup.
Fans gave a warm reception to the players at the airport and chanted loudly for a couple of players. Shaheen Afridi took to his official Instagram handle and revealed that the Pakistan team received a great welcome on arrival in India.
In a story, he wrote:
"Great welcome thus far!"
We love each other as much as we do our family: Babar Azam reacts to reports about his rift with Shaheen Afridi
At a press conference on Tuesday, before Pakistan left for India, captain Babar Azam quashed the rumors about his alleged rift with Shaheen Afridi in the dressing room after their exit from the Asia Cup. He revealed that the players respect and love each other like family members.
Babar said:
"Respect is given to everyone. You see, whenever the match is close and we lose, it's just a regular meeting, but sometimes it's portrayed as if we had a fight. It shouldn't be like that. Respect should remain constant for everyone. We love each other as much as we do our family."
On ace pacer Naseem Shah's absence, Azam continued:
"Of course, we will miss Naseem Shah as Shaheen [Afridi] and Naseem bowling together gave us a different edge. It was not easy to pick his replacement, but we all sat together and got input from [chief selector] Inzamam ul Haq. We went with Hasan Ali because he has experience. He has played the World Cup before. I cannot comment who will bowl the new ball or the old ball, as we cannot reveal our strategies right now"
Do you think Pakistan can go on and win the World Cup with this squad? Let us know your views in the comments section.